Today's Challenge - Feed you family on $10!!

[Michelle My Bell]

Today's Challenge -

 

Post a meal plan for breakfast, lunch & dinner for a family of 6 that costs about $10. You can assume that basic staples (flour, sugar, spices, butter, milk) are in your pantry & fridge. BUT do not assume things like pancake syrup, rice, cereal etc... are in your pantry fridge. JUST THE BASICS.

 

Rules:

#1 Meals must be TASTY!

#2 Meals must be HEALTHY!

#3 Meals must APPEAL to a wide range of ages!

#4 Meals must cost about $10 for everything!

#5 Please include recipes for lesser known dishes.

 

 

Ready Set GO!

 

 

 

Winner get's a More With Less Cookbook (I have two :))

[i.love.lucy]

:lurk5:

 

(No, popcorn is not my submission to the thread! :lol:)

 

I am having a hard time keeping it under $10. Especially for 6 people! This does mean $10 for the whole day, right?

[Julie in Austin]

OK, here goes:

 

breakfast: oatmeal with a little brown sugar and milk on it along with whatever fruit is in the $1/pound range. (Est cost: 2.00)

 

lunch: PB & J and carrot sticks (Est cost: 2.00)

 

snack: homemade hummus with celery and carrots (Est cost: 1.00)

 

dinner: whole wheat pasta with red sauce and a little sausage (Est cost: 5.00)

[Aggie]

I don't know if I can beat Julie....her menu is great!

 

Breakfast...

eggs 1.30/doz

sausage 1.00

fruit 1.00

 

Lunch

lentils 1.00

fresh string beans 1.00

fruit 1.00

 

Supper

 

bean soup 1.00

salad 2.00

fruit 1.00

[Chris in VA]

I don't know if I can beat Julie....her menu is great!

 

Breakfast...

eggs 1.30/doz

sausage 1.00

fruit 1.00

 

Lunch

lentils 1.00

fresh string beans 1.00

fruit 1.00

 

Supper

 

bean soup 1.00

salad 2.00

fruit 1.00

 

I think your estimates are low, for this area, anyway. I can't get 3 cups of string beans for a dollar, or make soup for that low, either--Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

What kind of fruit? I can't get 6 servings of most fruits for a buck--Can you give me a suggestion or two?:001_smile:

I can't

[littlebug42]

OK here goes.

 

Breakfast: Breakfast rice with bananas http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/All-Star-Breakfast-Rice-122299 $2.50

 

Lunch: Baked whole chicken with carrots and onion roasted in with the chicken.

 

Dinner: Take leftover from lunch (chicken bones etc) and boil with any leftover veggies (and can add additional if any left). Boil to make broth. Add homemade egg noodles http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Egg-Noodles-3458. You could add some extra protein by adding in some boiled eggs cut in half like my Grandma did.

 

For lunch and dinner:

chicken: $5.00

Eggs: $1.00

Carrots: $1.00

Onion: $.50

[hsmom]

I am having a hard time...since the cost of items here are way high. Like pb is $4 a jar, jelly $3, eggs $2 and so on. I will have to think about this one...

 

Can we assume bread and eggs are on hand or not?

Edited May 14, 2010 by hsmom

[LarlaB]

I don't want the More with Less cookbook, as I already have it & love it. :) Prices are based on my grocery store and actual meals eaten this week. Some things are priced per serving because as we all know its less expensive to buy in bulk- at least that's what our family does.

 

BREAKFAST:

-Scrambled Eggs ($1.25 per doz, actually it was $1.15),

-Whole wheat toast ($1.25 per loaf, but you won't use entire loaf so I'm subtracting 1/2 LOL)

-Bananas ($1) OR Juice ($1 frozen can)

TOTAL: $3.00

 

LUNCH:

-Macaroni & Cheese ($1.25- macaroni, cheese, milk, butter)

-1lbcarrots ($1 bag)

-1lb grapes OR applesauce ($1.50)

TOTAL: $3.75

 

 

DINNER:

-2 cups Rice ($.50)

-1lb pinto beans (dried beans $1 & tomato sauce $.35) (use cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt & pepper, onions, garlic, sugar to season-presumed in pantry)

-Frozen Green Beans $1 (We buy a 5lb bag of frzn green beans for $5 at Sams or CostCo, so this is price per serving)

TOTAL $2.85

[Chris in VA]

Hillbilly Housewife is a good resource for these kind of challenges, if anyone is interested.

My mil has several really cheap recipes that she used with her family of 9--here are a couple:

 

 

Cabbage and Noodles

AKA "Halusky"

 

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 lb wide egg noodles

 

In large frying pan, pour enough oil to cover the bottom. Put in the cabbage and onion and fry over medium heat until brown. Cover pan while frying, but stir often. Add a little water if it gets too brown.

 

Meanwhile, cook noodles and drain. Remove to pot. When cabbage is done, pour over noodles add salt and pepper and mix well. Add a little butter or water if it seems too dry.

 

You can feed about 6 on one head of cabbage and a pound of noodles. Very cheap (don't know the exact $)

 

Homemade Noodles

 

2 eggs

2 c flour

 

Beat egg with fork in small bowl. Stir in flour and enough warm water to make a soft dough. Roll out on well-floured board fairly thin and cut into 1-2 in squares. At this point, you can let the noodles dry for a few hours or even overnight. Turn them several times. You can totally dry them out and then place in a plastic bag and freeze them, too) Or, you can cook immediately.

 

To make chicken pot pie, take parts of chicken (thighs are cheap, as are legs, usually) or a small whole one, 2 stalks celery and a small onion (both chopped) and put in pot, cover with water. Bring to boil. Boil about 10 minutes, then skim foam off the top. Add 4 chicken bouillon cubes and some parsley (if you want), and cook until the chicken begins to come off the bones. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. Cool, clean chicken from skin and bones, and return to the pot.

 

Bring the soup to a full boil, dice in a potato or two, and then add in the noodles. Cook until the noodles and potato are done and broth begins to thicken a little (maybe 20 minutes).

 

This makes a lot--cheap, filling, enough to feed 9.

 

Corn Pie

 

2 c flour

2/3 c shortening

ice water

 

Cut shortening into flour, add enough ice water to make an easy to handle dough. Roll out to fit a 9x13 pan.

 

THen take

3 cans whole dernel corn, drained

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled

2 tbl sugar

warm milk

butter

 

Put corn and sliced hard boiled eggs into the pan. Sprinkle the sugar, some salt and pepper over all. Pour in enough warm milk to almost but not quite cover the corn (don't you love these homey directions? lol) Put 4 or 5 small pats of butter over the mixture and cover with the crust. Seal the edges and cut a few vents in the top. Bake at 350 until the crust is brown (contents is already cooked, so you are really just cooking the crust) You can make a bottom crust, too, but it gets kinda soggy, so we like just the top.

 

You can serve this with a salad or some sliced tomatoes. Great when you want a veggie (not vegan) hot dish.

 

Apple and Corn Fritters

 

Yes, these are fried, but once in a while, they make a tasty, inexpensive meal.

 

Make a thick pancake-type batter with

1 c flour

1tsp baking pwder

2 eggs

1/2 c milk 1 tsp oil

 

Mix eggs, milk, and oil. Add to dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Peel, core and slice one or two apples into thin circles. Macintosh work well. Have about 1.4" oil hot in frying pan over medium heat. Dip one slice in the batter at a time and fry. Cook slowly turning so that it browns on both sides--if the oil is too hot, the outside will cook before the apple. Keep fritters warm in the oven while you make the corn fritters

 

With remaining batter, or you might have to make a little more, add about 1/2 can creamed corn (can use a whole can) or whole kernel corn. Fry like pancakes. They will be very flat. You can sprinkle a little sugar on them when you take them out of the pan.

 

Serve with canadian bacon, bacon, spam or ham.

 

Potato soup

Again, eggs, potatoes, milk--these are my mil's staples for cheap eatin'! :D

 

Oops--out of time--google for a good recipe--basically it butter onion celery canned corn, 4 potatoes, 4 hard boiled eggs, 1 c milk, turkey kielbasa. Brown the usual, add in water, cook until the taters are done, throw in the corn and a teeny bit of sugar, and milk. Heat to simmering and serve.

[LibraryLover]

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (we raise eggs, but I would say that 6 organic eggs would cost $2 at the market, with green onions (garden)

 

Snack: Peanut butter on whole wheat pita wedges crisped in the oven (i pack of little pitas is 1.99, not sure we would use whole pack. Let's say 1.50 Do I count the peanut butter? $2?

 

Lunch: Vegetable soup. I have kale in the garden, and some peas. I would add a cup of quiona (I do have this in my pantry...or I could used brown rice, also in my pantry) This is all dry bulk, so I am going to say .50 for that. I have frozen homemade chicken broth (I roast or boil one chicken a week, which we sell for $15. So, I porb clear about $5/chicken ;) I wouldn't need broth from a whole chicken). I would add a small can of crushed tomatoes, .75. $2?

 

Snack: Home-made hummus (99 cents for the the chickpeas? I buy in bulk, so maybe less?) I would skip the tahini, as I don't have any currently. I would add lemon juice (50 cents for 1/3rd lemon?) and sprinkle with paprika. Serve with cut up carrots. 5 lb bag of organic carrots was $3, so $1 worth of carrots? $2?

 

I have $2 left, and can I feed 6 people dinner for that? Ok. Pasta, for sure. .99 cents Barilla (mixed 'whole grain' lol) I have olive oil. I have some ground chicken in the freezer I can sautee. I have green onions in the garden to sautee with the chicken. Toss with salt, pepper, olive oil. I have lettuce in my garden for a salad. I have leftover carrots I could shred in there as well. Would all this cost more than $2? I could skip the sauce. I could throw have a diced avocado in the the salad (1 whole is 1.50, so one half would be .75. I would mash the other half and use it on bread the next day. If I squirt some of that lemon I used at lunch on it, it won't brown). I have that peanut butter, soy sauce etc, so i could also make a satay sauce for the pasta, or I could use more bulk brown rice, instead of pasta which would be less than the prepared Barilla.

 

If so, $10. If not, back to the drawing board. :D I already own the book, so I don't have to be in the contest. I was wondering if I could do this. If I make pancakes with a couple of eggs for breakfast (we can't do just pancakes, we need protein. One of mine will crab all day without protein), or a frittata for lunch, I might be at $10 as well.

Edited May 18, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Daisy]

Breakfast -

2 cups of dry oats (5 cups for $1 through my organic veggie co-op) - $.40

3 ounces of dry roasted sliced organic almonds (1/2 ounce per person) - $1

16oz of raw whole milk (4oz each, again organic co-op) - $1.50

We don't like our oatmeal sweet.

 

Lunch -

12 slices of whole wheat bread - $2.00

2 cans of white albacore tuna fish - $3

(I'm assuming I have mayo & relish)

Organic spinach & tomatoes to add to sandwich $1.50 (these items came in my organic veggie co-op box)

Snack -

Grapefruit or oranges off our trees (free)

In another couple of weeks we'll have nectarines and apricots so I have free fruit year round.

We also have extra veggies in our co-op box that I cut up for the kids usually.

 

Dinner - Soup

1 quart Trader Joe's chicken broth - $1.99

1 quart water

2 cups dry 8 bean mix (organic co-op, price is $4 for 4lbs) - $1

2 organic carrots (organic co-op) - $.40

1 organic onion (organic co-op) - $.25

1 bunch beet greens (organic co-op) - $.25

2 shredded chicken thighs (Costco bulk bag) - $1.00

(I'm assuming I have spices & dried herbs)

 

That's just over $14 but all the produce, grains, & beans are organic and the dairy is raw. I'm sure if you bought lower quality items for tuna, bread, and dairy you could come in under $10. We drink water at all meals.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Daisy

[Lara in Colo]

Breakfast

 

Eggs .99 dozen

sausage 2/5.00-bogo coupon= 1.25 roll

bisquits .50 (all ingredients in pantry--or a store bought roll)

 

Lunch

 

tom soup and grilled cheese

 

soup 1.50

bread .50

cheese 1.00

 

 

Pizza

dough-homemade

cheese 2.00

sauce .66(2 cans tom sauce and garlic)

veggies 2.00

 

 

This is as close as I can get.

Lara

[crimsonkelley]

OK, here goes:

 

breakfast: oatmeal with a little brown sugar and milk on it along with whatever fruit is in the $1/pound range. (Est cost: 2.00)

 

lunch: PB & J and carrot sticks (Est cost: 2.00)

 

snack: homemade hummus with celery and carrots (Est cost: 1.00)

 

dinner: whole wheat pasta with red sauce and a little sausage (Est cost: 5.00)

 

I don't think I could make these meals for this cost. I buy organic sprouted bread so it is over $4 a loaf. Sandwiches for us takes over half a loaf. Plus the organic carrots are $2 for small bag - and we can polish off a bag of carrots.

 

My ww pasta is also expensive. I buy org. tom sauce at Sam's and use ground turkey, but I know my meal would still cost more.

 

It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue.

[Orthodox6]

If staples are not included in the cost, I don't see that this is a $10 challenge. With the staples you list (and possibly also imply), I could feed all six of us for a price of $0.00, given that rule. Sorry !

[Tabrett]

My question is: could this be done without massive amounts of carbs?

 

Could it be done if your family followed a diabetic style diet?

 

I would love to see recipes where wheat, rice, corn and potatoes were not main staples.

 

Is it possible?:001_huh:

 

 

:lurk5:

[Julie in CA]

My question is: could this be done without massive amounts of carbs?

 

Could it be done if your family followed a diabetic style diet?

 

I would love to see recipes where wheat, rice, corn and potatoes were not main staples.

 

Is it possible?:001_huh:

 

 

:lurk5:

I'm wondering about this too. The cheapest filling foods I can think of are all carbs: potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, etc. I'm trying to get away from those, because of the tendency towards diabetes in my family.

[littlebug42]

I took the challenge to assume that all I had on hand was the basic staples listed (flour, sugar, spices, butter, milk) as stated in the OP. I also tried to look at it as what would I do to fill their bellies as all I had was $10 to feed them. Could I do it with the food I normally purchase (i.e, eggs from local farm for $3.50 dozen), no but on occasion, when the cupboards are bare and payday is still a few days away, I cannot make $3.50 eggs or expensive bread a priority.

 

As for could it be done without carbs being a big part of the diet, potentially but that would take some out of the box thinking. I'll ponder that.

[Julie in Austin]

 

It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue.

 

That's true--it is. I don't buy organics, so I can't speak to that, but we do try to eat healthily (for the most part).

 

I can make a loaf of ww bread in my bread machine for about 30 cents. Here, ww pasta is about $1/pound. I buy baby carrots (not organic) for $1 pound usually.

 

(Fortunately, our real-life budget has some wiggle room, but it wasn't always that way.)

 

You probably can't do "perfectly" healthy food on $10 day, but if you focus on whole wheat flour, oats, beans, and veggies, you can do much better nutritionally than most people on whatever they are spending, which is probably 2-3x that!

Edited May 14, 2010 by Julie in Austin

[Orthodox6]

 

It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue.

 

Have you seen Robin Robertson's latest cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap ? I am loving this book !

[whitestavern]

Here's a few ideas based on keeping any of the three meals at less than $3.50. I haven't broken these down by cost, but I don't think any of them would be over that amount.

 

Breakfast:

Eggs, oatmeal (or any hot grain), homemade pancakes w/applesauce or pureed or cooked fruit

 

Lunch:

Tortillas w/refried beans

Baked potatoes w/salsa & cheese

Tuna sandwiches

Egg salad sandwiches

Quesadillas or grilled cheese

Homemade veggie soup

Caesar salad

Mac & cheese w/frozen mixed veggies

 

Dinner:

Quiche

Honey lentils

Frittata

Thai noodles (spaghetti w/peanut butter sauce and veggies)

Chili (some ground beef; mostly beans; or veggie chili w/beans only)

[crimsonkelley]

Have you seen Robin Robertson's latest cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap ? I am loving this book !

 

Never heard of it -off to check the online library catalog!!! Thanks!

[Pippen]

What a great idea for a thread! The following assumes recently paid sale prices.

 

Breakfast

 

Lowfat Almond Scones (omit apricots, substitute yogurt for sour cream and use whole wheat flour)

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Zaarbucks-Famous-Apricot-Almond-Scones-135582

Yogurt 60 cents

1/3 cup almonds 50 cents

 

Lunch

Homemade whole wheat bread using staples

Deviled Eggs $1

Carrots or applesauce $1

 

Dinner

Crockpot Chicken with beans and rice

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Crock-Pot-Chicken-W-Black-Beans-and-Cream-Cheeseyum-89204

$3.34 3 large chicken breasts

$1.00 1/3 less fat cream cheese

50 cents handful frozen corn

$1.00 salsa

74 cents can black beans

50 cents homemade corn tortillas

 

Total = $10.18

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I am having a hard time...since the cost of items here are way high. Like pb is $4 a jar, jelly $3, eggs $2 and so on. I will have to think about this one...

 

Can we assume bread and eggs are on hand or not?

 

 

Me too. We live in a teny tiny town with 2 tiny rediculously over priced grocery stores (the cheapest bread you can buy in town is 2.20 a loaf) That is why we go an hour and a half away every two weeks for groceries, MUCH cheaper even with gas...:confused:

[Daisy]

I broke everything down by cost of serving size. So although a jar of organic Trader Joe's peanut butter would be $2.50 for me, I only calculated the actual price per servings (for a total of 6 servings). So unless you use an entire jar of peanut butter for one meal, you'd not have to put the entire price down, imo. Same with bread, dairy, etc. I broke it all down. Heck, I pay $2.50 for normal eggs and $4.50 for a loaf of good bread.

[littlebug42]

OK- I came up with a menu, light on carbs, that is based on local sale prices for this week and assuming store brands purchased.

 

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs topped with salsa $2.00

 

Lunch: Pinto beans in crockpot with onion thrown in with carrot sticks/baby carrots or grapes (.97 per pound) $3.50

 

Dinner: Grilled chicken leg quarters (.59 per pound) with coleslaw made from bagged cole slaw mix (on sale) and mayo. 4.50

[BikeBookBread]

About a year and a half ago, my DH challenged me to feed our family of 4 on $45 for a week (7 days). I blogged my results. I even costed-out the flour, milk, etc... Yes, FORTY FIVE DOLLARS. I ended up spending $55 for 7 days. I was proud of myself! :)

[Lovedtodeath]

 

It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue.

I am trying to budget and keep it healthy. I pay three times as much for cooking oil because safflower is the only one I trust, I pay $1 more per 18 eggs and milk is $5 more per gallon. Ground beef is about twice as much. Organic sugar is about 5 times as much. Exotic whole grains instead of eating wheat all of the time... don't even ask about that, I had to give that up almost entirely. Every time I make dried beans they don't turn out well. We greatly prefer canned or jarred. :confused: I did manage to meet our new grocery budget this week though.:)

[BeckyFL]

How about leftover Easter candy for all meals? I think I could do the whole day for free this way.... let's see...

 

Breakfast - starburst egg (includes fruit so this MUST be healthy)

 

Lunch - Marshmallow bunny sandwiches (rabbit is an excellent wild protein) with carrots (Reese's pieces in the carrot bag - again a vegetable)

 

Dinner - the Pièce de résistance....... the Chocolate Bunny that is still in the freezer!!! Filled with wholesome milk, this beauty has been waiting for just such a moment. On the side, colorful fruit bunnies and more veggie Reese's.

 

Sorry... I couldn't resist! We don't eat a lot of candy so even what little we had in baskets is still sitting around! We really aren't that unhealthy! I promise. lol!!!

[myfunnybunch]

Breakfast

 

Cream of Wheat=$1.00

Blueberries (Picked myself and frozen, at $1.25/lb.)= $1.25

---------------------

$2.25

 

Lunch

 

Hard-boiled eggs (1/2 dozen)=$1.00

The rest of the blueberries

WW Toast (1/2 loaf)= $0.75

Yogurt=$1.50

-----------------------

$3.25

 

 

Dinner

 

If I could count the chicken broth and ham bone in the freezer, split pea soup. For us, these are essentially free because we've already counted the cost of the chicken toward another meal, ditto with ham bones.

 

1 Carrot+1 onion+1 celery=$1.00

Split peas=1.50

Chicken broth and ham bone=No cost

 

OR (if I can't count the on-hand freezer items)

 

Pasta, with garlic and olive oil (both of which I consider to be staples!) =$2.00

*If I could count freezer and garden freebies, I'd add dried tomatoes from last year's garden and slivered spinach from this year's!*

 

with...

 

Roasted carrots=$1.00

 

Lettuce (Normally free from the garden)+ dressing=$1.00

-----------------------------

$4.50 OR $4.00

 

Actually, now that I think of it, if we switched breakfasts (Cream of Wheat for pancakes), this looks a lot like Wednesday's meal menu, except the kids ate leftover oatmeal instead of toast for lunch.

 

That was fun! I'm enjoying reading the other posts.

 

Cat

[edithcrawley]

Breakfast

 

Oatmeal-$.75

Bananas-$.85 (they normally cost .39/lb-.49/lb here)

Milk-.50

 

Lunch

 

Salsa-Rice burritos-recipe is from a Betty Crocker Quick and Easy Cookbook. Heat salsa to boiling in a skillet, stir in rice and cook until rice is tender, add in beans, corn, cheese, stir a bit until it is hot. Spoon onto tortillas-makes 8 servings

Salsa (16 oz jar)-$1.00

Rice-$.75

Black Beans-$.50

Corn-.50

Shredded cheese-$.75

Tortillas-$1.00

Water-$0.00

 

 

Snack

Apples-$1.50

 

Dinner

Lentils-$1

Mixed Veg (Frozen) $1 for 16 oz.

 

 

Total: $10.10

(Nothing is organic, most food in Indiana is pretty cheap)

[Tabrett]

How about leftover Easter candy for all meals? I think I could do the whole day for free this way.... let's see...

 

Breakfast - starburst egg (includes fruit so this MUST be healthy)

 

Lunch - Marshmallow bunny sandwiches (rabbit is an excellent wild protein) with carrots (Reese's pieces in the carrot bag - again a vegetable)

 

Dinner - the Pièce de résistance....... the Chocolate Bunny that is still in the freezer!!! Filled with wholesome milk, this beauty has been waiting for just such a moment. On the side, colorful fruit bunnies and more veggie Reese's.

 

Sorry... I couldn't resist! We don't eat a lot of candy so even what little we had in baskets is still sitting around! We really aren't that unhealthy! I promise. lol!!!

:smilielol5:

[Julie in Austin]

How about leftover Easter candy for all meals? I think I could do the whole day for free this way.... let's see...

 

Breakfast - starburst egg (includes fruit so this MUST be healthy)

 

Lunch - Marshmallow bunny sandwiches (rabbit is an excellent wild protein) with carrots (Reese's pieces in the carrot bag - again a vegetable)

 

Dinner - the Pièce de résistance....... the Chocolate Bunny that is still in the freezer!!! Filled with wholesome milk, this beauty has been waiting for just such a moment. On the side, colorful fruit bunnies and more veggie Reese's.

 

Sorry... I couldn't resist! We don't eat a lot of candy so even what little we had in baskets is still sitting around! We really aren't that unhealthy! I promise. lol!!!

 

:lol::lol::lol:

[Tutor]

This is a pretty typical day of meals for us. Six people in our family, but I have two additional kids here for breakfast, lunch, and snack. This would feed all 6 or 8 of us.

 

Breakfast:

 

Oatmeal with milk & brown sugar $2

 

Tea or water $0.50 (if everyone has tea)

 

 

Lunch:

 

Chicken salad (chicken, vinegar, mayo, salt, pepper, green onion) $2 - chicken will have been used for three meals

 

Fry bread $1

 

Sauteed green beans and garlic $0.25 - green beans were free from a neighbor (otherwise it would be an additional $1 for the beans if my garden wasn't in yet and I was out of beans from last season)

 

Lemonade $0.50

 

Snack:

 

Ants on a log $1.50

 

Supper:

Veggie soup with lentils $1.50 (broth is free made from veggie scraps; $0.50 for 1/2 bag lentils; $1 for bag of mixed veggies)

 

Leftover fry bread $0

 

Lemonade or water $0

If milk for kids $2

 

 

Total without milk at supper: $7.75

Total with milk at supper: $9.75

 

With the extra $, you could add cheese to the soup or add some sliced apples to breakfast. :001_smile:

 

ETA: Oops! I missed the part about pantry staples not being included in the $10. That makes the fry bread free, oatmeal $1, tea $0.25, and I didn't have to separate the totals with milk and without. LOL! Yay! I can put cheese in my soup and add apples or bananas to breakfast. My total with these changes would be about $8.75 or so. Guess I'd better read the instructions next time, huh? :)

Edited May 14, 2010 by Tutor

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I am having a hard time...since the cost of items here are way high. Like pb is $4 a jar, jelly $3, eggs $2 and so on. I will have to think about this one...

 

Can we assume bread and eggs are on hand or not?

 

yeah but you dont' eat the whole jar of pd. So instead of counting that $4 for that part of the meal, you divide and count what it costs for however much you ate . . . unless, of course, you ate the whole jar!;)

[Lovedtodeath]

 

yeah but you dont' eat the whole jar of pd. So instead of counting that $4 for that part of the meal, you divide and count what it costs for however much you ate . . . unless, of course, you ate the whole jar!;)

Hey! Stop spying on me!:tongue_smilie:

[i.love.lucy]

split pea soup.

1 Carrot+1 onion+1 celery=$1.00

Split peas=1.50

Chicken broth and ham bone=No cost

Cat, Can you share your recipe for Split Pea Soup? I have a ham bone and some ham leftover from Easter in the freezer and I'd love to see if my family would eat Split Pea Soup. I've never made it so I'm clueless!:confused: I do have a crock pot for this.

[Quiver0f10]

Breakfast: oatmeal, brown sugar & OJ-guessing @ $3 but I buy my oatmeal in bulk so it's pretty cheap. If you bought one can of concentrated OJ it's $1.19 here.

 

Lunch: home made whole wheat bread, pnbt & jelly, carrot sticks, milk -I am terrible at this lol $3?? ( using the same bag of carots for the dinner recipe)

 

Dinner: Pea soup http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/12/thick-and-hearty-split-pea-soup.html I have most of these Ingredients on hand so I don't know how much it cost but I am going to guess @ $4. One bag of dried peas is under $1 here, spices I'd have on hand. The potatoes, carrots(above) & celery would add maybe $3?

Edited May 14, 2010 by Quiver0f10

[myfunnybunch]

Cat, Can you share your recipe for Split Pea Soup? I have a ham bone and some ham leftover from Easter in the freezer and I'd love to see if my family would eat Split Pea Soup. I've never made it so I'm clueless!:confused: I do have a crock pot for this.

 

It's SO easy!

 

Ham bone with some meat on it (Or I'll cook some bacon and dice it if we haven't got a ham bone.)

A pound of split peas

1-2 carrots, chopped

1-2 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

6-8 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme (dried) or some fresh herbs from the garden--thyme or oregano--if you've got them

 

Throw it all in the crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours (or a little longer if you've forgotten to prethaw the broth and ham bone...sigh...) or on high for 4 hours. Before serving, remove the ham bone. Take the meat off the bone, chop and return chopped ham to the soup. If there's not much meat on the bone, I sometimes add bacon or some leftover ham--depends on the budget and time. Add salt to taste.

 

Yum. I usually serve it with a salad and homemade whole wheat rolls or corn muffins.

 

Here's the original recipe, easy to print:

Smoky Split Pea Soup

 

Cat

Edited May 14, 2010 by myfunnybunch

[Orthodox6]

Split pea soup (along with lentil soup) is the frugal cook's great friend !

 

You can reduce the cost further by taking the recipe just posted and omitting both the meat and the chicken broth (use water). Absolutely NO flavor is sacrificed by doing this. Sautee the onion and garlic (do use more than just two lonely cloves !) in a Tbsp. or two of olive oil before adding the other ingredients. Simmer on stove top until done.

 

This is one soup which I subject to the immersion blender after all is ready.

 

I added this variation because some of us around here are vegetarian or vegan in our preferences. :)

 

P.S. Make sure that your split peas are not old. (Like any elderly bean or legume, they will take forever to cook, and will have lost flavor from sitting around.) I bought some from Walmart, in a frugal fit. They were dingy beige and pale green. Looked awful ! I bought some bulk split peas elsewhere from a store with high turnover of bulk items, and they were such a pretty, bright green.

Edited May 14, 2010 by Orthodox6

[LarlaB]

Split pea soup (along with lentil soup) is the frugal cook's great friend !

 

You can reduce the cost further by taking the recipe just posted and omitting both the meat and the chicken broth (use water). Absolutely NO flavor is sacrificed by doing this. Sautee the onion and garlic (do use more than just two lonely cloves !) in a Tbsp. or two of olive oil before adding the other ingredients. Simmer on stove top until done.

 

This is one soup which I subject to the immersion blender after all is ready.

 

I added this variation because some of us around here are vegetarian or vegan in our preferences. :)

 

P.S. Make sure that your split peas are not old. (Like any elderly bean or legume, they will take forever to cook, and will have lost flavor from sitting around.) I bought some from Walmart, in a frugal fit. They were dingy beige and pale green. Looked awful ! I bought some bulk split peas elsewhere from a store with high turnover of bulk items, and they were such a pretty, bright green.

 

Elderly bean- LOL. I'll never look at my beans the same way...:lol::lol:

[TravelingChris]

Okay, low carb meals

 

Breakfast

eggs w/ ham and mushrooms (2.54)

frozen oj (80c)

 

Lunch

2 cans tuna (1.5) sliced cucumbers w/vinegar/oil dressing (1)

lemonade to drink (10c)

 

Snack

carrots w/vinegar/oil (75c)

 

DInner

milk (1.00)

Ground beef(1.5)/mixed vegetables(.75)/barley(,75) stew with canned tomatoes and paste (.95)

 

total for day 10.84 (but I did count staple prices for everything except spices)

[LarlaB]

Low carb?

 

B: 12 Eggs ($1.25) Bananas ($1)

 

L: Ham & Cheese roll ups $3.00

Tuna Salad $1.50

Chick Pea Salad (Can Garbonzo Beans w/ onions, garlic, oil & balsamic vinegar) $1.50

 

D: Mini Meatloaves (1.5lbs ground beef @ $1.99lb) $3

Spinach Salad ($2) w/ Strawberries ($1.50)

Edited May 14, 2010 by LarlaB

[Renee in NC]

Okay, low carb meals

 

Breakfast

eggs w/ ham and mushrooms (2.54)

frozen oj (80c)

 

Lunch

2 cans tuna (1.5) sliced cucumbers w/vinegar/oil dressing (1)

lemonade to drink (10c)

 

Snack

carrots w/vinegar/oil (75c)

 

DInner

milk (1.00)

Ground beef(1.5)/mixed vegetables(.75)/barley(,75) stew with canned tomatoes and paste (.95)

 

total for day 10.84 (but I did count staple prices for everything except spices)

 

Ground beef - is that for a pound?

[FlockOfSillies]

6 organic eggs

 

That would feed only 2-3 people here. Even my little guy eats two eggs by himself.

[LarlaB]

I am curious why there are so many critics here. I mean, I "know" why, but wanted to throw out the challenge to not take things so seriously.

 

No one is saying "I want to have Martha Stewart meals" on $10 a day. So yeah- that cancels out organic food, huuuuuge portions and things exactly the way you normally eat.

Edited May 14, 2010 by LarlaB

[Michelle My Bell]

I'll check out everyone's suggestion tonight and pick the one I like best! LOL I can do that you know...

 

Also, I realized that what may feed 6 people in one family, may not feed 6 in another. It all depends KWIM? So since I am the judge (Oh the power!) I will decide which I think would feed my 6. We are actually 7, but I have some little ones.

[TravelingChris]

No, actually more than a pound. I am using prices that I pay but in some cases, I am dividing prices. Not in this case. That is how much ground beef often costs (about 1.29 a pound) at the base commissary.

[Renee in NC]

I'm really surprised at some of these prices!

 

When people say "Fruit," for example, they list $1.00. But even at $1.00 a pound, it would take a couple of dollars worth to feed 6 people. I paid 35 cents per medium orange today - would each person get 1/2 an orange?

 

We eat alot of grits - the cost is 3.6 cents per serving, not including butter. That is 1/2 cup prepared. Add 1/2 orange (18 cents) and a cup of milk (19 cents.) Total cost for 6 people: $2.44

 

Lunch - Tuna Noodle. 1 package egg noodles ($1.50) + 2 cans tuna ($1.32) + mayo (staple, right?) + 1/2 bag frozen peas (48 cents) is $3.30 for 6 people. We'd still need a cup of milk each ($1.14) and another veggie - let's go with carrots (99 cents) but then we are headed for being over-budget. And whole wheat noodles would cost 50 cents or so more.

 

Each person needs 3 servings of dairy a day. Assuming 2 adults and 4 children (school-age?) that would be 18 servings total a day - or slightly over a gallon (which I paid $3.08 for today.)

 

Just rambling - obviously I'm not any good at this, because I don't think I could be creative enough to feed 6 people all their serving requirements on $10 a day! Even canned vegetables at 50 cents each only offer 3.5 servings.

 

Acckkk! Too much thinking!

[Renee in NC]

No, actually more than a pound. I am using prices that I pay but in some cases, I am dividing prices. Not in this case. That is how much ground beef often costs (about 1.29 a pound) at the base commissary.

 

Wow. I paid $2.88 today.:001_huh:

[Renee in NC]

I am curious why there are so many critics here. I mean, I "know" why, but wanted to throw out the challenge to not take things so seriously.

 

No one is saying "I want to have Martha Stewart meals" on $10 a day. So yeah- that cancels out organic food, huuuuuge portions and things exactly the way you normally eat.

 

True. I was trying for basic meals (I can't afford organic anything - well, I did buy organic spinach, but it was the same price as the regular.)