saraha Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 So I am kicking around the idea of offering a budget cooking class through our church. The target audience is working parents who are on assistance and very low income families that might not have ever learned to really cook. The class would be free and everyone would get a chance to taste recipes, since when you are on a tight budget with no room for mistakes, you might be less willing to try a new recipe or unfamiliar ingredients. I am still in the brain storming stage, so would love some others input! Thanks 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 There's a book called "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" that might help you decide what is cost-effective to cook from scratch. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I think I would concentrate on low-cost ingredients (legumes, eggs), mostly meatless meals and on utilizing ingredients that people generally throw away (off the top of my head, radish tops that make delicious soups but that usually are discarded). Also, thinking about soups, learning to cook without being bound to recipes. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Nice idea! The cookbook Cheap, Fast, Good has recipes but also a lot of helpful information. Also, the recipes are marked if they are especially frugal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I think a lot of the "budget" (low cost) part comes with the shopping. Maybe part of the class can be teaching people to shop well (know what the lowest price is for the items regularly used and watch for those sale prices, stock the pantry when items are pretty near or at this lowest sale price, plan menus from the pantry, etc.). 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Repurposing leftovers. Even very small amounts-save the bones & spoonful of peas to throw in a soup. I can't believe the stuff I used to throw away! We have wic in our state & you get a certain Amy of food each month. You could make a meal plan that relies heavily on those ingredients. Good stamps-take a typical $$ amt for family of 4 & devise a shopping list & meal plan. Great idea! I have always wanted to do something similar. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I love the idea about used WIC ingredients. Your state's WIC office can help you learn what they offer. The Mennonites (I think) have had a few good cookbooks which may have some ideas. One is called "More with Less." I'm drawing a blank on the other one, but will hopefully come back and post it when I think of it. I also like the cookbook "Cheap, Fast, Good". I think one key skill is meal planning. I'd also focus one session on making take out favorites at home. So DIY McDonald's, DIY Pizza, DIY Fried/Baked Chicken, etc. Maybe one week can focus on what you can do with a $5.00 rotisserie chicken from Sam's Club or how you can stretch a chicken you roast yourself. Teach them how to make a good pot of soup. Teach how to cook beans...and what to do with them.....soups, burritos, cassoulet, etc. Check out "Good and Cheap" too. She designed it for I think $4/day. https://8b862ca0073972f0472b704e2c0c21d0480f50d3.googledrive.com/host/0Bxd6wdCBD_2tdUdtM0d4WTJmclU/good-and-cheap.pdf 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 Extending the Table. It's "in the spirit of More with Less" but focuses on recipes from around the world. I think a good thing to include in a class like this would be "template" type recipes that can incorporate different specific ingredients based on what's on sale or already in the cupboard. Too many people think that when they follow a recipe they have to buy exactly what the recipe specifies. A good way to save money is to know how to make reasonable substitutions. I would be interested in a template type class. Teaching what can and cannot be substituted. one of my favorite recipes is a "rice casserole" recipe because I am so comfortable flexing it to use what we have/can get cheaply (Rice, leftover meat, any cream of XX soup, vegetable. But it was an expensive lesson to discover using ham was too salty). But I have a hard time doing this with other foods. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 So I am kicking around the idea of offering a budget cooking class through our church. The target audience is working parents who are on assistance and very low income families that might not have ever learned to really cook. The class would be free and everyone would get a chance to taste recipes, since when you are on a tight budget with no room for mistakes, you might be less willing to try a new recipe or unfamiliar ingredients. I am still in the brain storming stage, so would love some others input! Thanks You have two things going on here 1) tight budget 2) little time (assuming both parents work, if there are even two parents.) I think you should do a couple of quick meals, a couple of crockpot meals and go through how to prepare a whole chicken over a couple of meals. Not sure about "teaching" substitutions/repurposing. It seems like this is something that comes with experience, in knowing what works together and what doesn't. I think this is what makes a lot of people believe that they are bad cooks. They start substituting stuff when they don't have the experience to know what will work. (I flub this regularly and I have been cooking from scratch for a while.) That said, providing alternatives right there in your recipe might give people some needed flexibility. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 4, 2015 Author Share Posted February 4, 2015 I knew you guys would have some great ideas! So thinking along these lines, what kind of "formulas" do you have for meals? For example, on pasta night here we do a pasta (any shape I have) + some kind of tomato product (depending on what I have) + sauteed veg (on hand, usually at least onions) + some kind of meat (hamburger, gr. pork, chicken or breaded chick patties) + some kind of cheese then depending on how much veg went into meal, might serve veg on side (canned green beans, salad, crudite) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 It occurrs to me that you might want to dedicate part of the first class to teaching knife skills. If one can't use a knife quickly and easily, cooking becomes a lot slower and more difficult. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 5, 2015 Author Share Posted February 5, 2015 Bumping for the evening crowd. I really appreciate all of the ideas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I make all kinds of soups from a meat (really easy to get away with just a little meat in soup), fresh or frozen vegetables (frozen are quick, baby carrots don't need to be cut for someone short on time, etc) , a starch (pasta, rice, potatoes) and a base if the meat isn't brothy (tomato sauce, milk). Some combinations lend themselves better to Mexican or Italian or other spices, but that might take practice to figure out. I think ways to use WIC foods would be useful. Lentils are super-fast to cook as legumes go, but I've had more than one person around here tell me they've never eaten them. Lentils with sloppy joe sauce are one of my lazy meals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I think I would concentrate on low-cost ingredients (legumes, eggs), mostly meatless meals and on utilizing ingredients that people generally throw away (off the top of my head, radish tops that make delicious soups but that usually are discarded). Also, thinking about soups, learning to cook without being bound to recipes. To further confound this matter, I've never seen a radish with a top at the store. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 http://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/886689 My fave go to recipe to share with young moms on a budget looking to make a healthy meal. So easy, so good and super cheap :) Have fun - what a great ministry 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 To further confound this matter, I've never seen a radish with a top at the store. Why those greedy bâtards! Keeping all those radish tops for their own soup! Unconscionable! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 An idea... I think spices make a huge difference but the price can really add up if one only has access to grocery store spices. Would there be the possibility of putting together a spice kit to give as a gift to participants at the first class? If recipes for the whole class were chosen with this in mind the spice kit could cover all the recipes, kwim. Another idea, I'm assuming you will hand out recipes...will you provide a binder? As you plan recipes you could pick out a few recipes to mail out in the future (one at a time) to add to their binder. This would give you a chance to touch base and encourage their cooking. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Why those greedy bâtards! Keeping all those radish tops for their own soup! Unconscionable! I know! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 How to Cook without a Book is great for teaching basic cooking formulas. Lots of easy weeknight type of meals that can be adapted to different tastes and ingredients. http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Without-Book-Techniques/dp/0767902793 Having designed a class like this ages ago, I would suggest beginning the first class with a survey of your audience and adapt what you teach from there. It would be good to get a sense where the skill level in the group is and what sorts of foods people enjoy. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 I think there are two components to your initiative, one is hands-on-cooking and the other is meal planning. Once you know HOW to cook, I think you can learn WHAT to cook/buy but, without knowing how to cook, it's very difficult, I think, to go into a grocery store and shop effectively. You don't know what to do with most of what's available or how to make the most of cheap cuts. I've been giving this a lot of thought lately because I am bound and determined to make sure my kids leave my house knowing how to cook well. DD and I are doing a cooking intensive this summer and the units I've come up with, so far, are: Knife skills/kitchen prep Pantry basics/spices and their uses How to cook vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned) How to make the 5 mother sauces: tomato, béchamel (white), brown, broth/veloute, and hollandaise (from these you can make any number of soups and stews) Quick breads (muffins, pancakes/waffles, biscuits) How to cook poultry How to cook meat How to cook fish The recipes we use will be super easy and basic, the kinds of things I did in home ec. so many years ago. For each unit, we'll incorporate shopping and ingredient selection (seasonal items, freshness). I don't expect we'll do any substituting...yet. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohini Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 There's this free ebook designed specifically for people on SNAP and other benefits. You can download it here http://www.leannebrown.com/ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 There's this free ebook designed specifically for people on SNAP and other benefits. You can download it here http://www.leannebrown.com/ Is this the same as the recipes at what's cooking.fns.usa.gov website? (Can't copy a link from iPad to cellphone. ) The webpage says, "What's Cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl". One can place a check mark in a box to filter for recipes geared to recipients of SNAP. Looks like a very helpful website. I just bookmarked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 9, 2015 Author Share Posted February 9, 2015 Thank you all so much! So in thinking and planning a little more, I think the class is going to have two parts to it, a cooking how to aspect and a budgeting/planning aspect. I want to spend time each month on both. Also, I have decided to have my class at the beginning of the month so if someone discovers a recipe or technique they like, they have the money/wic checks to get it and try it at home while it is fresh in their mind. Also, I think I am going to feature a spice every month and had out spice bottles as a perk of the class. The class is going to be free and open to the public each month, but we will also put out a donation jar to help cover costs if someone is so inclined. The last thing I am thinking about is giving attendants a ticket for a drawing for a crockpot at every class, and have the drawing and give away at the last class. What do you guys think about any of these ideas? Thanks! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Great ideas! Also, make sure to teach about the cost per ounce of food. For instance, cold cereal is just something every working parent is going to buy, no matter what. Teaching when to buy on sale when the per ounce price is right is very helpful. Also, my LDS relatives taught me about Magic Mix, which is much more cost effective than canned soup. The LDS church probably has some great resources for you and they are very generous to share what they know with non church members.They have similar classes, I think. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happygrl Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Somewhere I saw a free recipe book that uses mainly WIC foods for the basis. I don't recall actually looking at it but I saw several people comment that it was good. You might try googling for that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 What a wonderful idea! I am not low income and I stay at home, but I would benefit SO much from a class like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Something to consider is that (at least around here) storage is a BIG issue. Some local boarding houses have one kitchen for maybe 10 rooms. Each room might have a family living in it with their clothes piled against the wall. They don't have room for a lot of normal strategies like buying in bulk. Also they don't have secure refrigerator or freezer space. I encourage you to check whether this is a local problem or not before you design this class. Making a big pot of beans to eat all week simply won't work if you can't keep them cold. If that is your issue, then the strategies might focus on joining together with others to make big meals like that but consume them at one sitting. 4 families, each takes one night a week--that can save a lot of money. OR, you could focus more on fast-cooking dry goods like pasta or lentils or rice, and on stretching expensive ingredients like meats with potatoes etc. Then someone would shop quickly every 2-3 nights for a piece of meat, a head of lettuce, and any necessary dry goods, and have the meat that night and meatless the next. I think that offering a kit of herbs and spices with the class is brilliant. We are always thrilled when we can get herbs and spices from the food bank to give to our clients, because they are normally ridiculously expensive. Something else your church might do if space is a big issue is host 'bulk to individual' parties. The church or donors buy laundry detergent, sugar, flour, rice, etc. in Costco size containers, and then repackage it down to smaller sizes that families can handle. Families that will receive this can help, and there is dignity in that. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 I knew this was the place to go for ideas! Thanks ladies! I won't be starting the class until May, so still have plenty of time for brainstorming. I went to the library last night and they had several books that people here suggested plus a couple others, so can't wait to start perusing them. I have only just started on the How to Cook without a Book put I can see right now how helpful this book will be for teaching a few recipes, but also teaching how to substitute for things you have on hand or on sale. The even had one called How to Cook Without a Book; Meatless Meals 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Our community food pantry offers classes on nutritious quick inexpensive meals. I have taught classes within our church--being able to sample and take home recipe cards was appealing to some people, others needed step by step hands on practice. They really only knew how to do cold cereal, frozen pizza/burritos, and drive through. Cost per meal/serving was important. Several months in, I taught a class on freezer meals. That went over VERY well, but we had to build foundational skills first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 Prairiewindmomma I would love to hear more about your class, if you feel like typing all that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 10, 2015 Author Share Posted February 10, 2015 How to Cook without a Book is great for teaching basic cooking formulas. Lots of easy weeknight type of meals that can be adapted to different tastes and ingredients. http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Without-Book-Techniques/dp/0767902793 Having designed a class like this ages ago, I would suggest beginning the first class with a survey of your audience and adapt what you teach from there. It would be good to get a sense where the skill level in the group is and what sorts of foods people enjoy. I would like to hear more about your class if you feel like typing all that out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibiche Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I was pondering this the other day while cooking exactly what I wanted to eat. I was thinking - and I think someone mentioned this above - that it would be nice to ask the people what it is they like to eat. I would hate it, for example, if I liked really bland food and someone only taught me recipes for highly spiced exotic food. Or if I were vegetarian and the meals taught all included meat. So maybe if you could ask your audience beforehand what they would like to learn to cook you could tailor your course so that it would be less top-down "here is what is appropriate to eat" and more of a collaborative effort. :) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 If you have time, the book "Kitchen Counter Cooking School" may be helpful. It isn't how to teach the class, but what the author did in teaching a similar class. Her class was not exclusively for low income families though. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I would like to hear more about your class if you feel like typing all that out. It has been a long time ago... but, the most important thing I learned from the experience was to start by looking at what people know first and as much as possible build on the strengths in the group. While you want to offer some structure, recipes, etc. people respond best and will make the most changes when the ideas come from within the group. I bet you'll find you have participants who are brilliant with budgeting and shopping and they may be able to share tips with others in the group who are just getting started. The two things we found most helpful were 1. Basic cooking techniques - such as making potatoes into oven fries - simple and a huge hit, easy egg recipes, making chili from scratch, stir frying, working with less expensive cuts of meat. 2. Kid-friendly ideas. One place the budget gets shot for a lot of families is relying on more expensive stuff (frozen chicken nuggets, boxed cereal, microwave mac and cheese, pudding snacks) because it is what kids will eat. When families try out something new and the kids love it, that's a great way to get buy-in and really make a difference. Good luck with your class. It is a great thing you are doing and much needed really for people of all income levels. I'd love to see more young parents confident in cooking at home. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 If you have time, the book "Kitchen Counter Cooking School" may be helpful. It isn't how to teach the class, but what the author did in teaching a similar class. Her class was not exclusively for low income families though. YES. This book is good and got me thinking about this kind of thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 1 jar of pasta sauce + 2 jars of water = instant soup broth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 I'll add a suggestion for long-term support, although I can understand that this might not seem useful to someone who never has tried it. Develop the habit of reading cookbooks. That's it. Nobody taught me how to cook. I learned on my own. The more I cooked, the more I read. The more I read, the more ideas clung to my brain that I could test by cooking. A cycle kicked in. It was not many years before I felt confident in reading a recipe and modifying it into something that my instincts knew would turn out well. I still read, I still modify recipes, and I make up my own recipes as well. So encourage frequent trips to the library and eventual creation of a hand-picked home library (as finances allow). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted February 25, 2017 Author Share Posted February 25, 2017 So in googling around for some ideas for my next class, this thread came up so I thought I would update in case that was helpful for anyone! We are in year two of the class and it has been so much fun. The dynamic that ended up attending regularly was not who I expected to come regularly at all, it has been mostly elderly people! A widower, a grandma wanting to teach her granddaughters, an elderly single lady... and others sprinkled in as the classes have all been independent of each other. I took a lot of suggestions from this thread and we came up with a neat format. Each month is a new skill (we are repeating here in year two, but using different recipes for the long termers) where we make a complete meal and share in the eating of it, plus a lecture point, (shopping, meal planning, substitutions etc). Every month as per health dept. I have to buy unopened food packages, so at the end, we divvy up the leftover cooked food and the leftover ingredients, so if someone wants to try it but doesn't have cumin at home, we share it out, or someone wants the bag of flour we only used two cups out of, then they take it. It has been such a blessing! thanks for all of your help in making the class a success! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Saraha - that is so cool! I remember your original thread when it first came around. Congratulations on putting together such a successful program! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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