Michelle My Bell Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Today's Challenge - Â 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. Â 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. Â Â Ready Set GO! Â Â Â Winner get's a More With Less Cookbook (I have two :)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 :lurk5: Â (No, popcorn is not my submission to the thread! :lol:) Â I am having a hard time keeping it under $10. Especially for 6 people! This does mean $10 for the whole day, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 OK, here goes: Â 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) Â lunch: PB & J and carrot sticks (Est cost: 2.00) Â snack: homemade hummus with celery and carrots (Est cost: 1.00) Â dinner: whole wheat pasta with red sauce and a little sausage (Est cost: 5.00) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 OK here goes. Â Breakfast: Breakfast rice with bananas http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/All-Star-Breakfast-Rice-122299 $2.50 Â Lunch: Baked whole chicken with carrots and onion roasted in with the chicken. Â 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. Â For lunch and dinner: chicken: $5.00 Eggs: $1.00 Carrots: $1.00 Onion: $.50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) 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... Â Can we assume bread and eggs are on hand or not? Edited May 14, 2010 by hsmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Â 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 Â LUNCH: -Macaroni & Cheese ($1.25- macaroni, cheese, milk, butter) -1lbcarrots ($1 bag) -1lb grapes OR applesauce ($1.50) TOTAL: $3.75 Â Â DINNER: -2 cups Rice ($.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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) Breakfast: Scrambled eggs (we raise eggs, but I would say that 6 organic eggs would cost $2 at the market, with green onions (garden) Â 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? Â 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? Â 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? Â 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. Â 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) 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. Â 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. Â 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) Â 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crimsonkelley Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 OK, here goes:Â 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) Â lunch: PB & J and carrot sticks (Est cost: 2.00) Â snack: homemade hummus with celery and carrots (Est cost: 1.00) Â dinner: whole wheat pasta with red sauce and a little sausage (Est cost: 5.00) Â 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. Â 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. Â It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 My question is: could this be done without massive amounts of carbs? Â Could it be done if your family followed a diabetic style diet? Â I would love to see recipes where wheat, rice, corn and potatoes were not main staples. Â Is it possible?:001_huh: Â Â :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 My question is: could this be done without massive amounts of carbs? Â Could it be done if your family followed a diabetic style diet? Â I would love to see recipes where wheat, rice, corn and potatoes were not main staples. Â Is it possible?:001_huh: Â Â :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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Â 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) Â It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue. Â 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). Â 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. Â (Fortunately, our real-life budget has some wiggle room, but it wasn't always that way.) Â 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Â It's so hard to eat heatly and inexpensively at the same time:-( At least I'm struggling with this issue. Â Have you seen Robin Robertson's latest cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap ? I am loving this book ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crimsonkelley Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Have you seen Robin Robertson's latest cookbook, Vegan on the Cheap ? I am loving this book ! Â Never heard of it -off to check the online library catalog!!! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Â Breakfast: Scrambled eggs topped with salsa $2.00 Â Lunch: Pinto beans in crockpot with onion thrown in with carrot sticks/baby carrots or grapes (.97 per pound) $3.50 Â Dinner: Grilled chicken leg quarters (.59 per pound) with coleslaw made from bagged cole slaw mix (on sale) and mayo. 4.50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Â 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.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyFL Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 PiĂƒÂ¨ce de rĂƒÂ©sistance....... 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!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 $4.00  Actually, now that I think of it, if we switched breakfasts (Cream of Wheat for pancakes), this looks a lot like Wednesday's meal menu, except the kids ate leftover oatmeal instead of toast for lunch.  That was fun! I'm enjoying reading the other posts.  Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edithcrawley Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Breakfast  Oatmeal-$.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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabrett Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 PiĂƒÂ¨ce de rĂƒÂ©sistance....... 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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 PiĂƒÂ¨ce de rĂƒÂ©sistance....... 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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!;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovedtodeath Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 Â 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) 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. Â 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) Â 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) Split pea soup (along with lentil soup) is the frugal cook's great friend ! Â 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. Â This is one soup which I subject to the immersion blender after all is ready. Â I added this variation because some of us around here are vegetarian or vegan in our preferences. :) Â 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) Low carb? Â B: 12 Eggs ($1.25) Bananas ($1) Â 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 Â D: Mini Meatloaves (1.5lbs ground beef @ $1.99lb) $3 Spinach Salad ($2) w/ Strawberries ($1.50) Edited May 14, 2010 by LarlaB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlockOfSillies Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 6 organic eggs  That would feed only 2-3 people here. Even my little guy eats two eggs by himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarlaB Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 (edited) 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. Â 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted May 14, 2010 Author Share Posted May 14, 2010 I'll check out everyone's suggestion tonight and pick the one I like best! LOL I can do that you know... Â 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 I'm really surprised at some of these prices! Â 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? Â 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 Â 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. Â 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.) Â 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. Â Acckkk! Too much thinking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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. Â Wow. I paid $2.88 today.:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 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.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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